Trust in ministers falls with lower than a 3rd now trusting them
Public trust in the Government and politicians has plummeted over the past two years, a report has concluded.
Research commissioned by the UK Statistics Authority found that less than a third (31 per cent) of the British public believed the Government could be trusted, in 2023.
The figure was 11 per cent lower compared to 2021 when public trust in the Government stood at 42 per cent.
And politicians generally fared no better – public trust in the UK Parliament was 36 per cent, down from 49 per cent in 2021.
It was carried out by the National Centre for Social Research for the Public Confidence in Official Statistics (PCOS) Survey, which is carried out every two years.
Its purpose is to explore the public’s attitude towards official statistics and how trusted they are.
Members of the public were asked about how much they trusted different institutions
Some 87 per cent of people surveyed said they trusted the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
The survey compares the Official for National Statistics to other UK institutions in public life, with more than 2,300 British adults consulted.
And while the ONS scored highly in terms of public trust – 87 per cent of respondents said they trusted it – the same could not be said of other institutions.
Trust in the Bank of England fell from 86 per cent in 2021 to 79 per cent in 2023, while trust in the Civil Service dropped from 81 per cent to 75 per cent.
The lowest scoring was the UK media – just 25 per cent of respondents said it was trustworthy, although this was up from 23 per cent in 2021.
The report read: ‘Compared to 2021, there was a noticeable decrease in the level of trust respondents reported in a number of state-led institutions such as the UK Parliament, the Government, the civil service, the police, and the Bank of England.
‘However, trust reported in ONS, the media, the courts and high street banks and financial institutions remained consistent with the answers from the previous survey year.’
Of the respondents who said they did not trust the ONS the most common reason for not doing so (49 per cent) was concern that statistics would be misrepresented by politicians.
Less than a third of the British public believed the Government could be trusted, in 2023
Some 41 per cent thought the Government has a vested interest in the statistics and manipulated the results, while 45 per cent felt the figures didn’t tell the whole story.
Overall, nearly three quarters (72 per cent) of the public thought ONS statistics were free from political interference.
But 68 per cent disagreed that the Government presents statistics honestly – 75 per cent disagreed that newspapers presented them honestly.
The results come following two years of political turmoil which has seen the Government lurch from crisis to crisis.
Revelations Downing Street staff held lockdown parties first emerged in November 2021 – as the 2021 PCOS survey was being conducted.
Boris Johnson resigned as prime minister in July 2022 in the aftermath of allegations of sexual misconduct against former Tory whip Chris Pincher.
Mr Johnson was then succeeded by Liz Truss who resigned after just 49 days as prime minister, following a disastrous mini-budget and crisis in confidence.
Mr Johnson was then succeeded by Liz Truss who resigned after just 49 days as prime minister, following a disastrous mini-budget and crisis in confidence.
The Government has also been forced to tackle the cost of living crisis as well as ongoing strike actions on the railways and by junior doctors.
The UK Statistics Authority acts as an independent body and produces statistics through the ONS.
It also performs regulatory functions through the Office for Statistics Regulation.
Former prime minister Liz Truss resigned after just 49 days as prime minister
Trust in the Bank of England dropped from 86 per cent in 2021 to 79 per cent last year
Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, said: ‘While this is just one source of information about how people view the statistical system, it’s reassuring that trust has remained consistently high over time among those who respond, although we shouldn’t be surprised if we see some change next year given the challenges the system has had to confront in more recent months.
‘As recommended by the recent independent review of the Authority, later this year we (together with the Royal Statistical Society) will convene a Statistical Assembly of producers, users and stakeholders, to explore how we can best serve the public good over the next three years.’
Professor Sir Ian Diamond, National Statistician, said: ‘Now more than ever it is vitally important that citizens know where to find reliable, impartial statistics and trust the Office for National Statistics to handle their data safely and responsibly. We will continue to work hard to maintain and build upon that trust as we continue to modernise and improve our statistics in the months and years ahead.’
A Government spokesman said: ‘This Government is absolutely committed to the core values of transparency, integrity and professionalism.
‘We routinely publish information to ensure we are fully accountable to the public and have launched an expansive programme of reform that will strengthen ethics and integrity in central Government.’
